Method of and plant for heating apparatus



Feb. 16, 1932. KQENEMANN 1,845,289 METHOD OF AND PLANT FOR HEATING APPARATUS,'ESPECIALLY SUCH FORMING PARTS OF CHEMICAL PLANTS Filed June 24, 1930 Izzuezvtan E.Ko,cnemanzz Patented Feb. 16, 1932 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ERNST KOENEMANN, OF HALENSEE, NEAR BERLIN, GERMANY METHOD OE AND PI AN'l FOR HEATING APPARATUS, ESPECIALLY SUCH FORMING PARTS OF CHEMICAL PLANTS Application filed June 24, 1930, Serial No. 463,554, and in Germany July 1, 1929.

It is known to use for the heating of apready mentioned members 1, 4 and 5, and of paratus, especially such forming parts of an auxiliary or by-pass circuit proper comchemical plants, a molten substance as heatprislng a valve 7 an air separator 8 and a transmitting medium being solid at orditube 9 comprislng a return conductingthe nary temperature. Operating in this way substance from said a1r separator back into 55 entails, however, the drawback that the subthe vessel 1. There is, between the air sepastance solidifies in the apparatus and tubes rator 8 and the vessel 1, bes des the tube 9, concerned when the respective plant is set at the lower end of whlch dips into the molten rest and the whole must be heated to the substance, another tube 10, that extends forth 10 requisite degree at which the substance is from the top of the air separator and termie0 melted when the plant is again to be started. nates ust at the top of the yessel 1, and the Owing thereto, the parts concerned are subpurpose of which is to equalize the pressures. jected to great strain which, besides, non- In the auxiliary c1rcu1t the substance is uniform in the several parts, and it is also heated to such a temperature that it cannot.

. possible that amounts of heat are dammed up solidify whenit is pumped through the ap- 65 by reason of nonuniform distribution thereparatus to be heated by the said substance. of, whereby corrosions and local vaporization When this temperature has been reached, of the substance may be caused. I the valve 7 is closed and a valve 11 provided v All these drawbacks are overcome, accord- --1n a tube 12 connecting the coiled tube 5 ing to my present invention, L y first melting with the service circuit proper, shown as com- 70 the heat-transmitting medium in a separate prising another coiled tube 13, is opened. collecting vessel. or chamber whereafter the When the valve 7 has been closed, the .submolten substance is pumped through an auxstance contained in the tube 9 flows at once iliary circuit, a heating circuit, in which its down into the collecting vessel 1 from which temperature is raised to such degree that the the necessary volume of air flows into the 7 substance cannot solidify whenit is pumped separator 8 through the pressure equalizing through the apparatus to be heated by the or vacuum breaking tube 10. intermediary of the substance. Finally, the The valve 11 being now open, the liquid thus far heated substance is conducted substance passes intothe service circuit through the service circuit proper into which proper shown as comprising the coiled tube the respective apparatus is or are inserted. 13 which is located in a service vessel or re- The invention is illustrated diagrammatceptacle or apparatus 14 which may be of ically and by way of example the accomany suitable description. The other end of panying drawing in. which I have shown a said tube is connected by means of a tube 18 plant comprising the collecting vessel, the with another air separator 15 from which auxiliary heating circuit, and the service cirextend downwardly two pipes 16 and 17, of cuit mentioned in the precedin paragraph. which the first constitutes a return complet- When the plant is at rest, t he heat-transing the service circuit proper and forms a mitting agent is contained solely in a vessel, part of the service circuit comprising the 40 i. e. collecting vessel 1, which is filled with members 1,4, 5,11,12, 13,18, 15 and 16, and that substance about as high as indicated by of which the other pipe 17 serves as a pressure the line or level 2. Within thevessel 1, and equalizing pipe, just like the pipe 10. The thus within the heat-transmitting substance, circulating liquid substance is continually is a heating coil 3 by means of which the subheated in the furnace 6 andthe heat is then 45 stance can be melted. transmitted to the contents of the apparatus The substance having become liquid is then 14 by the intermediary of the coiled pipe 13. forced by a pump 4 into a coiled tube 5 which When the pump 4 is set at rest, the liquid can be heated by means of a furnace 6. From substance will flow back into the ,vessel 1 the coiled tube the liquid substance passes partly on the way 18, 13, 12,11, 5, 4 and Cal 50 into an auxiliary circuit composed of the alpartly on the way 15 and 16, so that all these members will become empty. This takes place before the substance has so much cooled down that it commences to solidify; solidification taking place only and solely in the vessel 1.

From' what has been described in the preceding paragraphs it appears that the melting and the solidification of the substance used as heat-transmitting agent takes place solely in the vessel 1 which is suitably de signed. A strong local superheating ofthe substance when being heated in order to be melted can be perfectly securely prevented by using in the coiled heating tube 3 a fluid (steam, air, a liquid) of a certain moderate, at least not unduly high, temperature so that the temperature cannot increase over a fixed point.

It is a matter of course that, besides the coiled tube 13, or the apparatus 14 respectively, also one or more other heating coils or other heat transfer apparatus or thelike may be connected up to the tube12, preferably in this way, thatthe several heating coils are connected in parallel so that each of the apparatus concerned can be separately operated, without disturbing, or being disturbed by, in any way the other ones.

Finally, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself solely to the details of the plant shown in the drawing merely by way of example. There may be departures without departing from the principle of the invention. Thus, for instance, it is possible to r'e-conduct the circulating heat-transmitting medium directly from the tube 16 to the pump 4 without conducting that medium first through the vessel 1 and it is also possible to insert in such a case a separate small vessel between said members 16 and 4.

I claim:

1 The method of heating apparatus, especially such forming parts of chemical plants, with the aid of a substance which is solid at ordinary temperature and adapted to act as heat-transmitti'ngagent when it is in molten state; said method consisting in melting a body of the respective substance, driving the molten substance through an auxliary circuit in which its temperature is increased and driving finally the liquid hot substance from and to said body through a service circuit, of which the service apparatus of the plant and liquid heating means form a part or parts.

2. A plant forheating apparatus, especially such pertaining to chemical plants, with the aid of a substance which is solid at ordinary temperature and adapted to act as heatadapted to receive said substance and with melting means connected with said vessel;

means for continuing the heating of the molten substance outside the said vessel; an

.means, and between these latter and the firstmentioned vessel.

3. A plant forheating apparatus, especially such forming a part or parts of chemical plants, with the aid of a substance which is solid at'ordinary temperature and adapted to act as heat-transmitting agent when it is in molten state, comprising, in combination with a vessel adapted to receive said substance; meltin means connected with said vessel; means l or continuing the heating of I the molten substance outside the said vessel; a circuit, of which the vessel and said outer heating means form parts and which comprises, besides, conducting connections between the vessel and the said outer heating means; means for driving the molten substance through this circuit; and a service circuit connected up to the first-mentioned circuit and comprising heating means attached to the apparatus to be heated and conducting connections between the first-mentioned circuit and said latter heating means, and between these latter and the first-mentioned vessel; and pressure equalizing means between this vessel and the highest point of each of said two circuits, the arrangement being such that all members empty automatically when said driving means is set at rest.

I state, comprising in combination with a vessel; melting means connected with said vessel; means for continuing the heating of the molten substance outside the said vessel; a circuit, of which the vessel and said outer heating means form parts and which comprises, besides, conducting connections between the said outer heating means and the vessel; means for driving the molten substance through this circuit; and a service circuit connected to the first-mentioned circuit and comprising heating means attached to the apparatus to be heated and conducting connections between the first-mentioned circuit and said latter heating means and between this latter and the vessel.

5. The method of heating apparatus with the aid of a substance which is solid at ordinary temperatures and adapted to act as a heat transmitting agent when it is in molten state, which comprises starting with said a paratus emptied of said heating agent, me tin said substance, circulating said melted su stance through an auxiliary or preliminary heating circuit until its temperature is so increased that it will not solidify on introduction to said apparatus to be heated, and thereafter circulating the preliminarily heated molten substance through the heating portion of said circuit and through'said appa ratus to be heated.

6. The method of conducting the operation of heating servicecircuits by. the circulation therethrough of a heating agent which is fluid at operating temperatures but solid at ordinary temperatures which comprises, starting with said service circuits emptied of said heating agent, melting a body of said heating agent removed from said'service circuits, preheating the resulting fluid heatin agent to a degree suflicient to prevent solidiflcation of the same on introduction to said service circuits,,then introducing said preheated heating agent to said service circuits for initiating heating of the same, circulating said heating agent from and to said body through said service circuits and reheating the same during its circulation so lon as it is desired to maintain the operationoflheating, and again emptying said service circuits of said heating agent before it solidifies therein when it is desired to suspend the operation of heating.

7. The method of initiating the operation of heating service circuits by the circulation therethrough of a heat-transmitting agent which is fluid at operating temperatures but solid at ordinary temperatures which comprises, starting with said service circuits emptied of said heating agent, heating a body of said heating agent removed from said service circuits to render it fluid, preheating the resultant fluid heating agent to a degree sufficient to prevent solidification of the same on introduction to said service circuits before commencing circulation of the same therethrough, and the initiating circulation thereof from and top said body through said service circuits, thereby avoiding solidification therein, H

8. The method of initiating the heating of service circuits by the circulation therethrough of a heat-transmitting agent which is fluid at operating temperatures but solid at ss ordinary temperatures which comprises,

' starting with said service circuits emptied of said heating agent, melting a body of said heating agent removed from said service cir-.

9. A plant for heating apparatus utilizing as a heat-transmitting agent a substance and provided with heating means 3 for ren-,

dering the substance fluid; an auxiliary circuit communicating with said chamber 1 to receive fluid substance therefrom and comprising heating means 56, a return 9 and means 4 for causing circulation of fluid substance therethrough; a service circuit comprising'heating means 56, heat transfer or service apparatus 1314, a return 18-16, means 4 for circulating fluid substance therethrough, and a connection for supplying fluid substance thereto; and pressure equalizlng or vacuum breaking means 1017 providing for draining of said circuits on interruption of circulation therein. 7

10. A plant for heating apparatus utilizing as a heat-transmitting agent a substance which is solid at ordinary temperatures but fluid at operating temperatures comprising; a chamber adapted to receive said substance and provided with heating means for rendering the substance fluid; an auxiliary circuit communicating with said chamber to receive fluid substance therefrom and comprising heating means, a return and means for causing circulation of, fluid substance there; through; a service circuit comprising heating means, heat transfer or service apparatus, a return, means for circulating fluid substance therethrough, and a connection for supplying fluid substance thereto; and means providing for draining of said circuits on interruption of circulation therein.

11. A plant for heating apparatus according to claim 10 in which the fluid in said auxiliary and service circuits is circulated by circulating means common thereto, and in which circulation in said auxiliary and service circuits, respectively, is controllable by valve means rovided for the purpose.

12. plant for heating apparatus according to claim 10 in which the fluid in said auxiliary and service circuit is heated by heating means common thereto.

13. A plant for heating apparatus according to claim 10 in which the fluid in said auxiliary and service circuits is heated by heating means common thereto, and circulated by circulating means common thereto, and in which circulation in said auxiliary and service circuits, respectively, is controllable by valve means provided for the purpose.

14. A plant of the character described comprising a chamber provided with a heating means, a second heating means; means for forcing fluid from said chamber through said second heating means; an auxiliary or bypass circuit proper comprising an air separator, a valved inlet thereto from said second heating means and a return leading therefrom completing an auxiliary circuit through said second heating means and said fluid forcing means, pressure equalizing or vacuum breaking means communicating with said air separator; a service circuit proper comprising means for heating apparatus, a valved inlet thereto from said second heating means, an outlet therefrom to a second air separator, and a return from said second separator completing a service circuit through said second heating means and said fluid forcing means; and pressure equalizing or vacuum breaking means communicatingwith said second air separator. I I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' ERNST KOENEMANN. 

